Bruises
by 46AmityBread46
Summary: Set between COG and COFA. Clary and Jace in the training room. Clace fluff one shot.


Clary was late. Horrifically late. She had left an hour early but still she had been caught up in traffic.

Currently, she was tapping her foot inside the black metal walls of the elevator, waiting impatiently for the creaking box to move faster. Whenever Clary was inside of it she felt the strange feeling that she was a bird in a birdcage. This could possibly have been because the elevator was shaped like a cage.

Releasing a breath that she wasn't aware of holding, she stepped out of the elevator - and nearly stepped on Church. He gave a disgruntled meow and looked at her with his tail stuck up in the air. If the situation were not stressing her out so much she probably would have laughed at the affronted look in his eyes. Clary had never met a cat before with such human facial expressions. But Church wasn't exactly a normal cat.

"Where's Maryse?" Clary asked.

Church didn't answer and instead turned his back on her. Closing her eyes briefly, Clary took a deep breath through her nose.

"I'm sorry for nearly stepping on you."

He glanced back at her and started walking away. His tail had now dropped and its tip was brushing the stone floor. Deciding that he had forgiven her, Clary followed him away from the elevator.

Lit with glass roses and witchlight, the long halls of the Institute seemed endless. They were all the basically the same and Clary remembered when she first came here and how she had often spent a vast majority of her time wandering them. Covering the familiar scent of candle wax, Clary could smell something that stung her nose. Something that smelt burnt.

Quicker than she wanted to, she found the source of the burnt scent. Isabelle Lightwood was bent over a pan in the sink. The sounds of it being scraped filled the kitchen. Untidy overflowing and messy, the kitchen countertop beside the stove was stacked with ingredients that Clary would never dream of cooking in the same dish.

Isabelle straightened up and muttered something about "more mushrooms".

Clary really hoped that she wouldn't further mutilate a dish with more mushrooms.

Before she could stop him, Church went into the kitchen headbutting Izzy's leg. Clary scrambled away from the door and fell over. Luckily, she had runes of speed and silence and Izzy didn't detect her fall. Every time Isabelle attempted to cook, she usually asked Clary to taste it. Clary felt like today would have been a bad day to be on her deathbed as a result of Izzy's food.

She ran down the corridor Isabelle's voice drifting towards her. "Go away Church. I don't have food for you!"

She heard Church give an indignant meow and then the sound of pots crashing on the floor. This was followed by Izzy's shouts, "You stupid cat!"

Clary knew that Izzy would probably end up giving him fish anyway.

Once she had reached the training room, she saw Maryse and Robert Lightwood waiting there. Robert's mouth was puckered and he had his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Do you know, Clarissa, that being the Inquisitor is a time consuming job and that I don't have time to wait around for you?"

Muttering a quick apology, Clary quickly hurried to the changing room. As she opened the door, she saw Jace grab his stele from one of the benches. He gave her a discreet smile as he left the changing room, blond hair tousled, shutting the door behind him. Clary felt that it was worth being late just to have Jace smile at her.

Pulling out her loose training clothes, she accidentally dropped her stele sending it rolling into a corner under a bench. She'd have to retrieve it later she thought as she tugged on her clothes.

As Clary stood in front of them again, she thought that Robert wasn't only angry at her. He was probably also annoyed partly because of Maryse standing beside him.

"We'll just be judging you today on your hand to hand combat. If it's not too good we'll make sure to look for a proper trainer," Maryse said.

Although she didn't say it, Clary knew that Maryse didn't think that she was training properly. Whenever she was with Jace in the training room she thought that they were just making out. In actual fact, when she trained with Jace he was a completely different person from the one she talked to over the phone before or the one she went on dates with.

As she stepped into the ring, she saw Jace (who was now opposite her) shake out his arm. His face was impassive, his eyes looking straight at her, blankly. To any onlooker Jace would probably have looked casual to them. But Clary knew Jace. She knew that the ever so slightly irregular pattern of his breaths meant that he knew that if they messed this fight up, he probably wouldn't be training her anymore.

Mirroring him, Clary bent her knees slightly. Her feet were firm on the ground, the muscles in her arms tense. The atmosphere in the room was quiet and Clary could feel the same tension in her body surrounding her as she waited for the fight to start.

"Begin," Maryse said, her calm voice reverberating in the large room.

And suddenly, Jace showed expression. He ran towards her, body alive with energy, and threw the first punch. He always threw the first punch.

Blocking it with her forearm, Clary ducked to the side behind his back. She had been hoping to kick him from behind but her foor just brushed him. Jace moved too fast.

His next punch was a blur, but Clary dodged it in time. Her eyes darted over his body looking for an unguarded area. Jace's arms were slightly higher from throwing his punch. Before he could notice, Clary's rammed her fist into his stomach.

He hadn't suspected it.

Jace's back was slightly bent as he stumbled back. Taking advantage of the situation, Clary brought her leg up in a roundhouse kick.

A blur was all Clary registered next.

Jace had caught her foot before she could kick him. He twisted her leg to the side and attempted to throw her to the ground. It didn't work. Even though Clary was disorientated, she pulled her arm behind his neck, trying to drag him down with her. At the last second, he caught her other arm.

Clary couldn't recall what he had done next but her back was now pressed against his chest, one of his arms around her waist. Bringing her elbows up, she jabbed him in the stomach, effectively releasing herself.

Spinning around, she saw his foot collide with her torso and she toppled to the ground, her side aching and tingling with pain. Jace dropped down when she fell and straddled her stomach, his leg pressing harshly into her sore side.

"You can get off her Jace," Maryse said, her face appearing in Clary's peripheral vision. Without so much as a glance in Clary's direction, Jace slid off her. He went over to the far corner, busying himself with some weapons.

Gingerly, Clary got up. She had to move awkwardly because of her side.

"Well done, Clary," Maryse said. "I think you've learnt a lot from Jace and you can continue your training as normal tomorrow."

"Thanks," muttered Clary. She hurried over to the changing room, trying to avoid Robert Lightwood's glare.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she left the training room.

Once outside, she let out a deep breath but promptly winced when it disturbed her side. What she really wanted was a warm bath. So she decided that she'd stay a bit longer in her old room at the Institute. Besides, Jocelyn and Luke were on a date and wouldn't notice her absence.

She paused outside the kitchen again, listening to what was happening. Church was making contented purring noises while the clatter of pots and pans filled the kitchen. So Isabelle was still attempting to cook.

Hoping that Izzy wouldn't see her, Clary walked by quickly and finally made it to her room. She sighed leaning against the closed door before she started running the water for her bath. Luckily, she still had her towel for whenever she came back from a demon hunt and was drenched in ichor. Pulling the towel and some clothes out, she looked for her stele, hoping to put an iratze on her bruise.

She swore.

Clary had left it back in the changing room, rolled away in the corner. Although, the large bruise on her body was starting to get more painful, she didn't want to have to encounter an annoyed Robert Lightwood. So she decided that she would get her stele later on when everyone had left the training room.

Taking her clothes off carefully, she slipped into the bath, letting the water roll over her aching body.

"Clary!" she heard someone shout, followed by the sound of someone pounding on the door.

"Clary we're going on a demon hunt!" Izzy shouted.

Reluctantly, Clary said, "I can't Iz, I just got in the bath. By the time I'm out, the demons'll be gone."

Izzy sighed dramatically. "Fine. Bye!"

The sound of her heels clattering reached Clary's ears.

Half an hour later, Clary sat on the bed, lacing her shoes , and about to retrieve her stele from the changing room. Before she could get up, the door to her room slammed shut behind someone. She saw the figure of Jace - splattered with mud and ichor - drop down beside her. The stench of demon blood clung to his gear. Gripping her shoulder, his hand held her tight.

"Did I bruise you?" he said urgently, his eyes moving over her body, checking for any damage.

"Well, yeah but - "

"Where?"

"Just on my side..." Clary pointed to her shirt

Hesitantly, with his eyes on hers, Jace lifted up her shirt. His eyes widened minutely when he looked down to see it.

"Why didn't you put an iratze on it?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I forgot my stele in the changing room."

Jace brushed his fingers against the bruise, gently. Bending down, he kissed her side. His hair, dirty with mud, brushed her ribs.

He pulled back grinning. "You're stupid, Clary Fray. How do you forget your stele?"

Reaching for his weapons belt, he pulled out his stele and put the tip on her bruise.

"Do I get a sorry from you? 'Cos, you know, you gave me the bruise," Clary asked, feeling the familiar burn of the iratze.

"Fine I'm sorry for being a better fighter than you," Jace teased.

"That was not an apology. That was an insult."

He laughed. "Fine you fight well. Better than I did with only a couple weeks of training."

Looking up at him, Clary tried to see if he was joking or not. His eyes were sincere, his face clear. She suddenly became aware of how close they were.

As she leaned her head towards him, his eyes fluttered shut. His nose brushed hers when she stopped."You smell disgusting."

She pulled her head back sharply laughing at his stunned expression.

"Not funny, Clary," he said, but his mouth showed traces of a smile. "You try fighting demons without getting dirty."

"Izzy does it," Clary pointed out.

"Izzy exceeds all of our expectations. I mean, you would have thought it'd be easy to bake a cake, but clearly not."

"Do I exceed your expectations with my Shadowhunter skills?"

"Every day," he murmured as he pulled her towards him.

This time, when he leaned in to kiss her, she didn't pull back. Instead, she twisted her fingers in his messy hair when their lips met. She felt his smile against hers and his hand drawing patterns on her back.

Only when he pulled away, did she feel the mud dirtying her hand. Sighing, she said, "I just had a bath Jace."

Upon hearing that, Jace pulled her onto his lap rubbing his head on her. The mud and ichor was soon smeared all over her body. When she looked down at Jace, he was grinning. "Yes Clary, it is truly tragic that you have to wash your hair again."

Without another word, she pulled his lips to hers.

* * *

Not as fluffy as I wanted it to be but I've had this idea for ages. Do you think it flows because I think it jumps about a lot and doesn't sound right in places? If you have any ideas for more one shots I should do, write them below. Thanks for reading!


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